Two or so years ago, the hi-fi press was waxing lyrical about Acoustic Energy’s (then) new top-end 500 series. The 509 was a particularly good floorstander and affordable too. Since then its cost has gone up and that has left a gap in the mid-price market into which the AE320 steps. The idea, according to … Read more
Teac fit their new TN-5BB turntable package with balanced outputs. Noel Keywood explains why. A beautifully built and finished Teac turntable” I thought to myself after unpacking. Then I turned it around and looked at its rear. Oh! Balanced outputs. Teac’s TN-5BB turntable has a more attractive rear than name, that’s for sure – if … Read more
The AV industry once happily threw around the term Wife Acceptance Factor (or WAF for short). This was applied to any bit of gear that looked as if it had been styled for the home, not a pro-grade studio – in other words, it looked nice, and wasn’t huge. I was reminded of this by … Read more
Many TV brands have adopted Mini LED technology this year, but Sony is having none of it. Its 4K LCD models for 2021, including the upper mid-range 65X90J under examination here, persist with the ‘standard’ LED lighting that LCD displays have been using for years. Happily, though, this certainly does not prevent the 65X90J from … Read more
Steve Withers installs a lot of speakers to assess this AV processor’s promise of full sonic immersion PRODUCT 15.2-channel Dolby Atmos AV processor with ARC Genesis EQ POSITION Below Anthem’s 15.4-channel AVM 90 WEBSITE www.anthemav.com PEERS Marantz AV8805A;Arcam AV40;JBL Synthesis SDP-55 First announced in October 2020, the arrival of Anthem’s new home cinema range in … Read more
Neville Roberts remembers the first time he heard a transmission line speaker as he is dazzled by Falcon’s latest addition My first ever experience of transmission line speakers was in the mid-Seventies when a friend invited me over to hear his newly purchased IMF TLS80. I was impressed by the tight, punchy, extended and well-controlled … Read more
The QX Series has been updated to Mkll status and Mission claims the results are “perfectly balanced”. Ed Selley investigates As years go, the last few have been pretty good for Mission. Under the International Audio Group umbrella, it has enjoyed a strong run of form with the affordable LX and QX Series of speakers … Read more
This bookshelf speaker provides attractive sound and connectivity at a competitive price. Cliff Joseph just wishes it had wi-fi. Read our Q Acoustics M20 Review. Acoustics recently launched its Q Active range of speakers, packed with wi-fi, voice control and other zeitgeist-surfing digital features. The speakers are pretty expensive, though, starting at £ for the … Read more
A new 800 series, and a return to the original 801 name, but the 801 D4’s enhancements are more than skin deep Some six years since the arrival of B&W’s 800 Series Diamond range, and over 40 years after the launch of the company’s original ‘no compromise’ 801 model, here we are with an all-new … Read more
Steve Withers gives the more ‘affordable’ models of Paradigm’s new speaker range a spin. The Founder Series is the first new range of speakers released by Canadian corp Paradigm since founder Scott Bagby returned in 2019 – which explains the name. Bagby, who launched the brand in 1982, sold his majority stake in 2005 and … Read more
Thanks to its monster 15in driver, Velodyne Acoustics’ new sealed subwoofer gives Mark Craven a taste of the low life. Read our VELODYNE DB-15 Review. LONG-TERM AV FANS will remember Velodyne. Once the go-to for superior, face-melting subwoofers, the American company picked up awards left, right and centre for its range of bassmakers, particularly the … Read more
This new entry-level 4K projector is still a Hollywood superstar, reckons John Archer Following rave reviews in HCC for its VW590ES, VW790ES and VW890ES native 4K projectors, Sony will be hoping for a clean sweep with the final model from the range, the VPL-VW290ES. At £, this is comfortably the cheapest of its current 4K … Read more